COLUMBIA, S.C. - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is ending two COVID-era programs that provided federal funding for schools to purchase local produce. This includes $6.1 million dollars that was originally allocated towards South Carolina’s Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA).

The state of South Carolina entered into an agreement with the USDA for this program back in July of 2022. At the time, SCDA officials said they would work with a network of distributors and farmers to purchase food from at least 120 farmers, including at least 60 underserved and rural farmers and ranchers, and distribute the food to at least 24 counties in need.

Additionally, SCDA said they would partner with the Catawba Indian Nation, the only federally recognized tribal nation in South Carolina, to further increase the impact of program funding.

With federal funding for the program now cut, state leaders are voicing their concerns about the impact this will have on South Carolina students.

“We provide books. We provide transportation, why wouldn’t we provide meals across the state? That is what feeds the future of our nation.” Said Jenaffer Stevenson, President of the School Nutrition Association of South Carolina.

USDA officials say the programs are a legacy of the pandemic and no longer support the agency’s priorities.

“The COVID era is over — USDA’s approach to nutrition programs will reflect that reality moving forward,” a USDA spokesperson said in a statement.